


Unconventional

by FlightsOfFandom



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Other, Reader-Insert, Series, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Daddy Hotch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26245141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightsOfFandom/pseuds/FlightsOfFandom
Summary: Warnings: None really, Peer-pressure (I mean it is the title of this chapter)(Future SugarDaddy!Hotch x SugarBaby!Reader)After a casual comment to your friends, an interesting opportunity falls into your lap. Curious to see where this opportunity leads, you go along with it. This odd string of events has a very intriguing outcome.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Reader, Aaron Hotchner/Reader
Comments: 14
Kudos: 58





	1. Peer Pressure

**Author's Note:**

> Left completely gender-neutral. Please feel free to send me any questions, comments, or suggestions about this fanfic because I’m kinda in new territory, so any feedback would be helpful and appreciated. <3 I found a gender-neutral term for Parent, so instead of using ‘Sugar Mommy’ or ‘Sugar Daddy' at one point, a character used the term ‘Sugar Renny’ (‘Renny’ is shorthand for ‘Rents’ which in turn is short for ‘Parents’). I will probably reuse the term in other fics because, honestly, I think it’s a hella cute term for a parent. Please know that I don’t support using some of the behavior displayed in this fanfic in real life. That being said, this is indeed FanFiction, and some of it was added for comic effect or whatever else. Don’t peer pressure your friends into doing something they don't need and/or want to do. You don't need to date someone ever or date consistently in order to be a fulfilled person <3

Rossi sat utterly relaxed in the chair across from Hotch’s desk, “When is the last time you went on a date?” Rossi had been relentlessly questioning Hotch about his love life for the last fifteen to twenty minutes. Hotch groaned, “Is this really a good use of our time, Dave?” Rossi gave a very dramatic nod, “Yes. It is.” Hotch had been staring at the same paper, unable to get any work done, “I don’t have the time.” Rossi gave Hotch an unamused look. Prompting Hotch to add, “Finding someone who has a schedule that lines up with mine would be damn near impossible.” Rossi got a mischievous look on his face. A look that always meant he was up to something. Rossi smiled, “There are certain…” Rossi moves his hands as he speaks, “arrangements. People who are willing to spend time with you at the drop of a hat.” Aaron narrowed his eyes, watching Dave closely, “You’re not seriously suggesting a prostitute, are you?” Rossi laughs, “You are not that much of a lost cause… yet.” Rossi pulls out his phone and starts messaging someone. Aaron was more suspicious than curious, “Then what were you suggesting?” Rossi looks back up from his phone, “Something more in the sugar baby range of companionship.” Hotch’s eyes went wide, completely taken aback, “What?” Hotch pauses, thinking this was a joke. Rossi’s face, however, showed that he was serious about his suggestion.  
Hotch starts to protest, “How is tha-” Rossi interrupts him with the wave of his hand, “Now before you start throwing the rulebook around and get all dramatic about it. It’s not always money, Aaron.” Hotch scoffs. Rossi rolls his eyes, “So closed-minded. It can be gifts, opportunities, or connections.” Rossi looks at his phone again, “That’s something you will have to work out with them.” Hotch couldn’t believe what Ross was saying. Then Hotch realized how Rossi phased that last sentence, “Did you already set me up with someone?” Rossi nods, smirking, “I did. From what I have heard about them, you two would be a good match.” Hotch exhaustedly places his hand over his face, “You haven’t even met them yourself?” Rossi stands up, “I heard it from a reliable source.” Rossi grins at Hotch, “If it makes you feel better, I will be vetting them before I set up your official date.” Hotch wanted to protest to fight this, and Rossi could see that. So Rossi intervenes before anything could be said, “And don’t try to weasel out of it. I can make your life a living hell, and you know I will.” It was a half-hearted threat, one made between friends. That didn’t make the statement any less true, though. If Hotch didn’t agree to this now, he knew Rossi would find a way to trick him into it later. Maybe even getting the rest of the BAU involved. That sounded like a much bigger headache than just agreeing to it now. Hotch reasoned that he could always go to this date, meeting, whatever it was called, and then just never do a follow-up. So begrudgingly, Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke, “Fine.” Rossi had an all too triumphant look on his face as he walked out of Hotch’s office.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It hadn't been a good week for you. Between getting the news that the scholarship you had been relying on for college was ending, you had no financial backup plan. You had a decent job at a local restaurant, but one of the owner’s kids took over and cut the servers pay. It was that time of year for your apartment to increase rent prices. You have been looking for other jobs but didn’t have any luck. It just seemed to be one thing after another. All of these things weighed on your mind, stressing you out. Before all of that stress happened, you had agreed to go out with your friends tonight. And Oliva wasn't planning on letting weasel out of this so you could anxiously worry about things in your apartment all by yourself.  
You wanted to be studying, or filling out applications, or anything but be at this bar right now. Oliva and Mason, two of your close friends, had different plans. The music was so loud you had to yell over it just to talk to anyone. It was so crowded that you felt claustrophobic. And to top it off, the three of you had been looking for a free place to sit for easily an hour. It was exhausting. Oliva tugged on one of your arms, “[Y/N] come on have some funnnnnnnn…” Mason pulled on your other arm, “You promised you would be fun tonight.” You sighed and rolled your eyes, “I agreed to this before I found out I will either have to drop out of school or pick up two more jobs.” Your two friends groaned. The pair finally finds a table, and the three of you jump on it before someone else takes it. Oliva spoke up first, giggling, “You know you could always get a job working with us.” Mason grins, “Being a sugar baby has a lot of perks. I haven’t had to worry about bills in like five years.” You roll your eyes, “I’m glad you guys are happy being sugar babies, but I really don’t think it's the right thing for me.” With the news your scholarship was ending, you had started seriously wondering if your friends were right, though. It seemed like a magic fix to all your problems. You sighed, “But maybe… let me see if I can figure something out, first.” Oliva and Mason were both busying texting away on their phones. Mason shook his head, “You can’t wait that long. It’s like a normal relationship. You gotta feel it out and see if it will work and then mutually agree to the arrangement details.” You dramatically let fold your arms onto the table before letting your head fall on top of your arms.  
Oliva pats your back, “It’s alright. I got one lined up for you already.” You shoot back up, “What? I haven’t even officially agreed to it yet.” Oliva grins devilishly at you, “You said ‘officially,’ which means you have agreed. You just haven’t admitted it to yourself or said it out loud.” Mason flags down someone bussing drinks and orders you all a round. Oliva was right. You had basically mentally agreed to it already. You were nervous, though. This was not typically how you did things. You take a drink, “I don’t like being so dependent on someone.” These weren’t objections. They were more just worries you had. Mason laughs, “I mean in a way sure. But doesn’t marriage do the same thing? Married people become legally bound together by all sorts of documents from the marriage itself to houses, cars, or bank accounts.” Mason knocks his drink back and then shrugs, “I’ve never become legally bound to any Sugar Renny’s I’ve had.” He was making sense. You nod along as you drink, “Okay then… I honestly don’t see how it could make things worse.” Olive laughs, “Cheers to that. Now let’s have some fun.” You all gently clink your glasses together before going back to drinking.  
After a few hours, Oliva jumps up, “You have to come with me now. We are gonna go meet someone.” You sit there startled, and Mason shoos you both, having his own plans for the night. You stare at Oliva, “How is this happening right now?” Oliva rolls her eyes like you're supposed to know, “Cause he is famous and a very busy man. He calls the shots.” She grabs your arm and starts tugging you through the crowds of people. You stumble behind her. Once you get out the door, you start asking questions, “Who even is he? Where are we meeting him?” Oliva looks around and pulls you towards a car that you’re assuming is an Uber, “So many questions can’t you just be spontaneous and trust me.” Oliva makes you get in the back of the car first, so you didn’t have a chance to run away. You glare at her as she slides in next to you, “I trust you just fine. It's the stranger I don’t trust. What if he is a serial killer or something?” Oliva starts chuckling, which quickly turns to full-out laughter like she knew something you didn’t. You narrow your eyes at her, “You are the worst.” Oliva confirms that the driver knows where to go. The place she stated was pretty upscale. Now you were nervous. You hadn’t dressed for a nicer venue, only wearing clothes for a casual night out. Oliva turns to you, “You might think I’m the worst, but clearly someone needs to intervene. When is the last time you went on a date?” You anxiously breathe in through your teeth, “There was…” Olive interrupts you knowing exactly who you were going to say, “That was YEARS ago. It’s been too long.” You sigh and try to relax, knowing arguing isn’t going to get you anywhere with Oliva.  
The drive took some time, and you were getting more nervous, the closer you got to your destination. To try to calm yourself, you switch between messing with your hands and scrolling through your phone. When the vehicle finally stops, it startles you. Oliva gets out first. You closely follow behind her. At this point, you knew trying to sneak away was pointless. Plus, part of you was extremely curious about who this guy was and how this whole sugar baby thing would pan out. You could already see that this place was a higher class then you were used to. Oliva let go of your wrist when she deemed you trustworthy enough to just follow her on your own. You stayed close, feeling absolutely out of place. When the door opens, the smell of cigars and smoke rolls out. Luckily it wasn’t overwhelming, but it was definitely noticeable. Oliva worked her way through the crowd with ease as you trail behind her. Oliva weaves her way through like she has been here before, and she probably has. When she stops, you almost run into her. Oliva motions to a gentleman enjoying a cigar and a glass of what you assumed was alcohol.  
The man was quite a bit older than you thought he would be. Not that Oliva had given you any sort of information to go off of. He had grey coming into both his hairline and facial hair. The man was dressed more casually than the posh masses that filled the rest of the building. Oliva said he was famous and you recognized him from something, but you weren’t sure what. He had a suave look about him, and he wasn’t bad looking, just not your type. Oliva walked up to the gentleman, “Davie!” She gave him a big hug, and the man hugged her back. Oliva pulled back, “Steve and I really had fun at the party last week.” This was one of those moments where Oliva got carried away. She was catching up with the nicely dressed gentleman, and you were wondering if you were actually supposed to be here for this. The man clears his throat to get Oliva to slow down, drawing your attention. The man finished his drink, looking overall, somewhat amused, “This is the friend you were telling me about?” He motions to you. Oliva nods, “Mhm, [Y/N]. They are new to all this stuff. I think they will be perfect for what you need.” You glared at Oliva as she talked about you like you weren’t there. Oliva doesn’t even seem to notice, “Which I think I will leave you two to discuss the details.” Your mouth drops open, “Liv!” Oliva turns to look at you, “What? You need to be more spontaneous. So I’m just going to throw you into the deep end of this. Love you, though.” She gives you a loving, albeit annoying pinch on the cheek. You grumble. Before you can stop her, Oliva bolts, quickly disappearing into a group of people.  
You let out a long groan before remembering that the famous man was still standing near you. You turn to look at him, worriedly pressing your eyebrows together, “She is a bit of a mess.” Letting out a nervous chuckle as you finish your statement. The man laughs, “Since she skipped over proper introductions. I’m David Rossi.” As soon as he said his name, it clicked. You had seen some of his books. You think you might have even bought a few but just never got around to reading them. You still weren’t entirely sure what was going on, but you offered an apprehensive smile, “I’m [Y/N], but Oliva at least remembered that part.” David motions to the table for you to sit down. He seemed friendly, but between him being famous and Oliva completely underselling the whole ‘throwing you into the deep end’ thing, you were antsy and unsure of what was going on. David seems to catch onto this quickly, “You can relax, I’m not the person you’re being set up with. But I’m assuming Oliva didn’t mention that.” You do relax a bit, sighing as you nod, “She did fail to mention that and pretty much everything else about what is going on.” A waiter stops by handing David a new glass. David takes a drink, “I am here to make sure you're a good fit for a friend of mine.” You nod slowly, “What do you want to know?” David pulls out a small note pad, skimming it as he talks, “You're a senior in college. You have a job, but you're still having a money problem.” There wasn't a question in that it was all statements. David looks back up at you for a moment. You try to get a closer look at that note pad, “Did you take notes about me? How much did Oliva tell you?” David laughs, “I’m an author. What did you expect? I do my research.” You didn't know where to be disturbed or flattered that a celebrity was this involved in your love life. You didn’t get a chance to think about it too much. David spoke again, “Essentially, I know everything about you. Mostly just fact-checking. I wanted to gauge your personality in person.” You sigh and let your face fall into the palm of your hand, feeling slightly overwhelmed at the moment. Surprisingly David lets you take a minute to collect yourself, only starting his questions when you raise your head back up. David looks back over his notes, “You've never been involved in this sort of arrangement before?” You shake your head. He asks a few other questions, clearly trying to evaluate you the whole time. It wasn't too bad, but you get anxious that maybe you were giving the wrong answers. The stress was getting to you a little bit, and David could tell. He quickly asked the questions, giving you just enough time to respond before asking the next one. Finally, he asks his last questions, “Do you plan on making arrangements with multiple people?” Startled by the question, you respond with the first thing that comes to mind, “Ohh god, no. I’m fucking nervous enough about one person.” This was the first candid response that fell out of your mouth. Your eyes went wide when you realized that you said that much louder than you meant too. You try to collect yourself to give a more collected response, but David just starts laughing before you get a chance. David gives a pleased nod as he starts writing something down on a card, “I like you.”  
David looked at you, “Now it's time for me to leave but, I think you’re a good fit. Here is the location, date, and time you will be meeting him.” David hands you a card. You choke out of surprise, “What? I don't get to see a picture of him or anything? No further details?” You cautiously take the card. David shrugs and laughs, “His name is Aaron, and that’s all I am giving you. Think of it as a game.” David tussles your hair, “Good luck, kiddo.” You try to stop him, but he is already gone. You were left sitting in the middle of the restaurant, just having spoken to a decently famous man who set you up to be his friend’s potential sugar baby. You had no idea how your life went from 0-100 this quickly. You were in shock. With everything you had been worrying about in your life, it was actually kind of nice worrying about something less serious like this whole Sugar Daddy situation for a change. Maybe you should treat this as a game of sorts like David said and just have some fun. What’s the worst that could happen. David Rossi, a famous author who caught criminals for a living, wouldn’t set you up with a dangerous person. Also, David thought you were good enough for his friend, so that felt like a compliment. You took a deep breath deciding to just go with the flow for a change. Looking down at the card David gave you. The date was scheduled for a week from now. Which gave you some time to figure out how you would go about this. You got on your phone and ordered an Uber to take you home.  
You were nervous. It had been a long time since you went on a date. You had never gone anywhere as fancy as the restaurant you were meeting Aaron at, and you damn well couldn’t afford it. Part of you was glad you had a week to figure out what to wear. The other part of you didn’t like having a whole week to overthink everything. However, your life didn’t give you much of a chance to sit around and worry about your upcoming date. Your week was filled with you applying for any and every scholarship application you qualified for. Then there was work, which wasn’t paying anywhere near what they should have been. You applied to at least twenty places. They didn’t seem like they would pan out. You did have a few classes, but you had slowed down a bit on your course load while waiting to figure out what you would do financially. You couldn’t help but think your slight indecisiveness on picking a specific major was a small blessing because it helped keep costs down for the time being. The week just seemed like the perfect example of why having a Sugar Daddy would make your life so much easier.  
The day of the date had arrived. You wanted to be there early, considering you would have to play a game of ‘Where’s Waldo’. Getting dressed in an outfit that you deemed nice enough to wear on this date. You stood in the mirror and readjusted your clothes over a dozen times. You patted your cheeks to try to help calm your nerves as you stared at your reflection. You took a deep breath and then finally left your apartment. You were about half an hour early. It seemed like a bit much, but you want to scope the place out before your date arrives. Also, hoping the extra time would help you chill out a bit. You walk into the restaurant already feeling your nerves going crazy. Stepping over to the side, wringing your hands as you looked around. The restaurant just seemed to have the typical groups of society's elite. Everything was bright and shiny. It made you not want to touch anything. There was expensive, breakable artwork scattered about, which made you want to stand still out of fear of breaking something. It wasn’t overly crowded, at least, so that was a small comfort. Your first scan of the room you didn’t notice anything that drew your attention. But you were also nervous enough that you were getting distracted by the wait staff scurrying about. So after you calmed down a bit more, you took a second scan of the room. It was just the same groups you noticed before until your eyes landed on a table off to the side with one lone man sitting there.  
You didn’t know how you missed this table the first time you looked. The man seemed a bit older than you. He had dark hair and was dressed up, but not as much as the other people that littered the room. Even from a distance, you could seem that his brows were tightly knit together. Despite the scowl carved onto his face, he still looked very handsome. He looked like he didn’t want to be here. Something inside you told you he was the man you were here to meet. You willed your feet to move, trying to ignore the anxiety still building inside you. You walked over to the table. He had been handsome from a distance, but the closer you got, the more you realized just how attractive you found him. You also started to see how stiff he was sitting. He looked so serious. He intimidated you. You weren’t sure if you actually had the courage to talk to him. You had been staring for a while, and he was bound to notice any minute. Right as you were about to turn tail and run, that was the moment he decided to look in your direction. You froze in place, probably looking just like a deer in headlights. His eyes narrowed, and he started glaring at you. You swallowed hard and tried to speak, “H...Hello.” You sounded timider then you wanted to. Trying to steady your voice, you cleared your throat before you continued speaking, “Are you Aaron?” He studied your face, “Yes.” Once he finished analyzing you, his face softened slightly, “You must be, [Y/N] then” Aaron automatically stood up and reached out to shake your hand. You offered a smile before reaching out and returning the gesture. Your mind temporarily goes blank when you feel his calloused hand in yours. When the handshake was finished, you both sat down at the table. You train of thought slowly coming back to you.  
You pulled nervously at your collar, trying to figure out how to proceed. Aaron was still stiff. The glare on his face hadn't gone away. It was utterly silent, and the tension at the table kept growing. It was so bad that when the waiter brought you both a glass of water, they didn't linger at the table to ask anything. In order to do something, you pick the menu up off the table, looking it over. As soon as you see the prices, however, your eyes go wide. You had a rule of thumb whenever you went on any date that you didn’t order anything you couldn’t pay for. Everything on this menu was completely out of your price range. You put the menu back down. Aaron takes notice and raises his eyebrow inquisitively. You gave a nervous chuckle, “I’m actually not that hungry.” You don't know why you felt the need to lie, but none the less you did. He narrowed his eyes at you, studying you again. You felt like he was trying to read you constantly. You couldn’t tell if it was because he didn’t like you or was suspicious, or maybe he still didn’t want to be here. Aaron pushed his menu to the side. His features softening as he has an almost apologetic look on his face, “I didn’t pick the place. Rossi did.” You let out a slight sigh of relief, “Good. I didn’t want to sound like an asshole and bring up that this place is a bit… much. I’m sure it’s nice, of course. Just not really my thing.” You chuckle nervously. For a split second, a ghost of a smile shows on Aaron’s face, “It’s not my kind of place either.” The tension and atmosphere made this feel like a business meeting, and you didn’t like it. The feeling bothered you so much that it prompted you to speak up, “Would you hate it if we went somewhere else then? This just feels so formal.” Aaron nods, “Where do you have in mind?” You can’t help but laugh as you get up from the table, “I have no idea. Some fresh air should help me start thinking straight.” You wait for him to stand up. You start walking away from the table, but suddenly you stop. This place was stressing you out more than you thought because you almost forgot. You dig into your pocket and pull out your wallet. It was a bit emptier than you would like, but that didn't stop you from pulling some money out of your wallet and leaving it on the table. Aaron watches you. You could tell what he was about to ask, or at least what he was wondering. So you answer before he has a chance to say anything, “I know we didn’t really order anything, but they still waited on us. They’ll have to clean the table and stuff as well. Plus, this place might be fancy, but wait staff usually don't get paid well.” You offer a smile before turning around and heading out of the restaurant.  
As soon as you get outside, you can already feel yourself relaxing even more. As you take a deep breath of fresh air, you fully realize how much anxiety was fogging up your thoughts. You turn to Aaron and watch him walk out of the building. He still looks so rigid and uptight. This had scared you before, but now after watching him for a while, you concluded that this was just how he was. This realization is enough to boost your confidence a bit. You smile at him, “I know this local food truck.” You check your phone for the time quickly before putting it away, “They should be fairly close by.” Aaron watches you for a while. You couldn’t read his expression. It still just looked like a scowl. Once again, you found yourself questioning whether that was just how he was or if he didn’t like you. Your nerves get the better of you, so you started to backtrack, “That's only if you still want to get dinner… with me.” You pause for a second, not giving him time to answer, “It’s okay if you don’t want to.” You start chewing on the inside of your cheek. He motions for you to lead the way, “No, That sounds fine.” You smile and begin navigating the streets until you find where the food truck is customarily parked this time of night.  
You stop when you reach your destination. There is a small line just because of the time of night, but the area isn't overly crowded. You already know what you want, but you motion Aaron to the extensive menu on the truck's side, “Once you figure out what you want, I can order for us.” You smile. Aaron gives you a stern nod. Part of you was surprised he didn’t slip away while you were leading him here. He didn’t exactly seem to be having a great time. Aaron seemed like the type who would be too nice to say he wasn’t enjoying himself, and he would just tough it out. Aaron finds what he wants and tells you. He makes a face, “Do you pay after you get the food then?” You tilt your head confused for a second, and then realize that he expects to pay because of the date's whole arrangement. Which you supposed that made sense, but you didn't feel right doing that to anyone. So in response, you just nod your head. Clearly, it was unconvincing because he narrowed his eyes at you. You slipped away and stood in line before he could say anything. What you didn't plan for was he decided to follow you and stood in line with you. You narrow your eyes at him, and he glances over at you out of the corner of his eye. Aaron’s eyes looked almost playful. You can't help but smile as you quietly ask him, “Are you challenging me to a bill race?” You could have sworn you had seen Aaron smirking before he spoke, “I don’t know what you're talking about.” He looked borderline happy, and it was a good look on him. You playfully scoff, “Good luck.”  
You already had a plan, and you were going to beat Aaron at this pay race. You knew the people who ran this place, but you weren't going to reveal your secret weapon. You knew a card would be much faster to pay with, so you slipped it out of your wallet and into your hand while waiting in line. When you both got to the front of the line, you smiled when you saw Evie, the motherly woman who ran the food truck. She looked tired but smiled back at you, “The usual?” You nod happily, “Yes, please. But I’m adding his food to my order.” You tell Evie what Aaron had said he wanted. Evie presses the total and does what she always does and gives you a student discount. Evie turns her back to you, “I’m going to trust that you won't jump over the counter like you normally do because you have a guest.” You can feel Aaron giving you a look. You laugh nervously and glance at him, “It’s not as bad as she is making it sound.” Once Evie gets involved enough in cooking your food, you do what you always do. You hop up enough, so your front half is through the order window, and your fingers can press the buttons on the register. You could feel Aaron’s glare as he probably thought you were doing something immoral. You quickly remove the discount from your total, making sure you're paying full price, “You should know better than to trust me like that, Evie. I refuse to let you discount my food.” Evie whips around, glaring at you. You huff as you have to reach further to swipe your card and press the accept button before Evie can fix it. Evie smacks your arm in an annoyed fashion. You wince and drop out of the food truck's ordering window. Evie glares down at you, “You're a student… It's a student discount.” You shrug and smile at her, “Raise your prices, and I’ll think about letting you give me a discount, but currently, you're not charging enough, in my opinion.” Evie shakes her head at you before cracking a smile, rolling her eyes as she goes back to cooking, “You're lucky I like you.” You go to put your card away, “Thanks for putting up with me.” You know you didn't really have the extra money, but you didn’t want to worry about that right now, so ignoring your close to empty wallet, you pull out a few extra dollars. Waiting until Evie isn't looking so you can stick it in her tip jar. If she saw you doing that, you’d get yelled at again. Evie finished both of your meals. Before she hands them to you, she eyes the tip jar. You were predictable, so Evie knew to check every time you ordered food from her. Evie glared straight at you. You raise your hands defensively, and when Evie’s glare intensified, you did something fairly childish. You point at Aaron, not so discreetly motioning your head in his direction to blame him for the money that appeared in her tip jar. Evie shakes her head as she finally hands the food over.  
You walk over to a table and sit down. Aaron sits across you with a smirk on his face, “Really? You tried to blame me?” He started to look like he was enjoying himself. You make a playfully guilty face, “You saw how she is.” You start laughing, not even able to keep the fake guilty look on your face. Aaron chuckles. You smile and add, “Plus, I couldn't let you win.” Aaron shakes his head in an amused manner. With that, both of you start eating dinner. When both of you finished eating, Aaron looked at his watch. He gets a conflicted look on his face, “It’s getting late.” It was pretty late, and you weren't sure what else you two could do on this date, but you were slightly disappointed that it had to end. You nod, “I guess it is…” You smile, “I had a great time, though.” Aaron nodded, “It did go a lot better than expected.” You were thinking of how to ask him if he wanted to do this again or if maybe you two should exchange numbers. Aaron seems to have read your thoughts. His eyebrows knitted together, “But… I don’t think we should do this again.” Your breath catches in your throat. You were surprised. You had thought it was going well after leaving the restaurant. You stumble over your words, “I...Uhh…Okay.” You were confused and wanted to ask what the issue was, but then part of you just blamed the circumstances of you both meeting. Aaron's frown sets further into his face, “You seem great…” You narrow your eyes waiting for him to continue. Aaron looks apologetic, “I’ve never been in a ‘situation’ like this. You must have better options waiting for you.” You couldn't help but laugh, “I've never done this before either.”  
Now Aaron looked confused, “But you’re-” You interrupt him, “I casually agreed to it a week ago. That same night my friend dragged me to meet David.” Aaron scans your face, trying to read you, “You ‘casually agreed’ to be a sugar baby?” You had both been dancing around that topic all night, but he cut through the pretense quickly, seeming suspicious now. You press your lips into a straight line and let out a heavy sigh, “Absentminded might be a better term.” Aaron looked extremely skeptical, not accepting that as the full answer. You let out another sigh trying to figure out how to explain it, “I’ve been having some issues trying to pay-” You stop yourself, not wanting to get into that whole mess, “I’ve been having financial problems. My friend, Oliva, got tired of me complaining about it and ‘being a major bummer’. So she brought up becoming a sugar baby because that's what she and my other friend, Mason, do for a living.” You pause, taking a chance to look at Aaron’s face. His demeanor hasn’t budged at all. You felt like you were being interrogated, helping you understand the phrase ‘if looks could kill’. You swallow hard and continue, “She had brought it up a billion times before, but it didn’t seem like the thing for me. I hate being that dependent on people. Makes me feel weird. But the problem was weighing on me enough that I said ‘what the fuck, what's the worst that could happen.’” You roll your eyes, remembering the next part, “The next thing I know, Oliva is literally dragging me out of the place we were at talking about how she was taking me to meet someone famous about the whole sugar daddy thing. Once I met David, we had maybe a thirty-minute conversation before he gave me only your first name with where and when to meet for the date.” Aaron looks beyond annoyed. You thought he was annoyed at you until he let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, “God damn it, Dave.” Aaron mumbled mostly under his breath. When he looked back up, his face had softened drastically, “He didn’t tell me anything either.” You offer a nervous smile, “Both our friends are assholes.” He nodded in agreement. You rub the back of your neck, “I never do anything like this. Oliva kinda just rushed me into it, but I figured, why not?” Aaron watches you, looking conflicted again.  
You can’t help but fidget under his gaze. After a long pause, he finally says something, “What are you having financial problems with?” You tried to avoid the question, “It’s not that big of a deal.” He still waits for you to answer. When you keep avoiding both answering and eye contact, Aaron questions you, “Are you lying about having problems then? Because you were more than willing to spend money tonight.” You only shake your head in response, biting at the inside of your cheek as you stubbornly refuse to answer. Aaron further tried to provoke a reaction out of you, “So you're a liar then?” He phrased it as a question but made it sound like he already thought you were a liar. Which got under your skin a bit, so you quickly spat out, “I’m not lying.” Aaron stares you down, “Then answer the question.” Part of you was startled by the tone he was using, but the other part of you knew he was just trying to find out more about you. You sigh, “I… A few extra dollars isn't going to fix my financial problems.” You pause, hoping that he will accept that as an answer. Aaron did not, waiting for you to elaborate. Taking a deep breath before you finally cave, “There is an issue with my scholarship for school and with my place of employment.” This time you weren't trying to avoid answering the question, but you were trying to avoid sounding like you were guilting him or looking for sympathy. Aaron reads your expression and stops the slightly aggressive questioning. He offers you a small smile after a moment, “I’m going to give you my phone number. We can go on another date and discuss things further.” You open your mouth to speak, but you're too surprised to find the words right away. You minorly collect yourself, “You don't have to…” Aaron shakes his head, “I want to. Overall I had a nice time.” He pauses, looking right at you, “To be honest, I was unsure about this whole situation and about you.” He optimistically raises his eyebrows, “I’ve come to the conclusion that you're trustworthy. You seem like a good person. Even though it's a bit more unorthodox then I’m used to, I’m willing to see where this goes if you are.” You can’t help but smile as you enthusiastically nod, “Yes. I… I would like that very much.” You both exchanged phone numbers before getting up from the table. Aaron walks you back to the restaurant your date started at.  
Aaron stops before going to his car, “Do you need a ride?” You laugh and shake your head, “Nah, I can just Uber back to my place” Aaron makes a face before rolling his eyes, “Come on. I’m giving you a ride.” He didn’t leave much room for debate, so you comply. You chuckle, getting into the passenger seat of his car, “Your bossy.” Aaron starts the car and laughs, “I have been told that before.” After that, there isn't a whole lot of talking during the car ride. Just you giving Aaron directions to your apartment. The first date tension and awkwardness is still there between you two, but you did feel safe around him. Considering you just met him, you didn't have a bad feeling about getting into his car. When Aaron gets closer to your apartment, his scowl comes back. You were curious, “What's wrong?” He glances at you, “This isn't the best neighborhood.” You couldn’t tell if he was being protective of you already, or it was just general gentlemanly behavior or maybe even a mixture of the two. You thought it was sweet, though. Aaron was right. It was kind of a bad part of town. You shrug, “I suppose. I don’t think about it all that much.” He glances over at you again, this time judgment in his eyes. You roll your eyes dramatically, “But I still make sure to pay attention… I’m not naive.” Most of the judgment leaves Aaron’s eyes, but he still seems on edge about the area. When he finally gets to your place, you hopped out of his car, “Thanks for the ride.” Right as you're about to close the car door, you hear the engine turning off, followed by Aaron saying, “Not so fast.” Aaron gets out of the car, walking over to you. You raise an eyebrow at him. Aaron replies without you having to say anything, “I’m not letting you walk to your front door all by yourself.” You start walking and chuckle, “I walk to my front door all the time by myself.” Aaron walks by your side, giving you a halfhearted glare. You chuckle, playfully nudging him with your shoulder, “Thanks though, it’s sweet.” This earns you a smile from Aaron, which in a contagious fashion, causes you to smile as well. You reach your door and pull out your keys to unlock it. As you open the door and step into your apartment, you have an odd realization that if this had been a date with someone closer to your age, you’d have to worry about them assuming they were invited into your apartment for ‘coffee’. However, Aaron’s motivation was legitimately about your safety. It was a nice change from other people you had dealt with. Getting another sudden boost of confidence, you turned around in your doorway to face Aaron, “Call me soon, okay?” Aaron smiles and nods, “Of course.” You smile back, “Goodnight, Aaron.” Aaron replies, “Goodnight, [Y/N].” He starts to walk away, and you close your door. As you locked the door and got ready for bed, you couldn't help but think about what a rollercoaster the last few hours had been.


	2. Second Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for you and Aaron to have a second date. After having to reschedule a few times finally Aaron has time to meet up with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally figured out the name of the whole series, “Unconventional”. This took a lot longer than I planned, my brain just hasn't been working great whenever I want to sit down and write.

Aaron was true to his word and called you within a day or two of your first date. You both planned where you would meet for your second outing. However, fate had other plans because Aaron ended up calling a few hours before the date to tell you he had to work. This pattern repeated for about two weeks. You weren’t sure what Aaron did for a living. He never mentioned it. While you could look him up online in the modern age, you didn’t feel right about doing that. Clearly, it was something that kept Aaron extremely busy. You were a bit disappointed, sure, but you understood and weren’t upset about it. Aaron seemed more annoyed about it then you were. He was overly apologetic. You tried to ease his mind and reassure him that it was okay, but he didn’t exactly listen to you.

You were sitting in your apartment, bouncing between filling out job applications and scholarship paperwork. Lying on your couch, half lounging with your laptop resting on your legs. You were filling out both physical and digital versions of the applications. In between filling out forms, you allowed yourself to ‘relax’ by looking over your bank account and other finances. You had the tv on for background noise. You were hyper-focused on the task at hand. So you almost didn’t realize your phone was ringing right away. After a few rings, you muted the tv to figure out if it was coming from the television or not. When you heard it was actually your phone, you scrambled to grab it. You didn’t even look at who was calling before picking up, “Hello?” You heard some car noises before the caller speaks, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Hearing Aaron’s voice made you smile. You chuckle, “Nah, I just thought the ringing was from the tv. I’m just sitting around.” Aaron lets out a relieved sigh, “Good.” There was a pause and the sound of a car door closing, “Are you free tonight?” You sit up, “I am. I just need some time to change clothes. Then I can meet you wherever.” Aaron chuckles, “Actually, I’m coming to you.” You hear a knock on the door. Jumping up off the couch, you hold your phone to your ear as you hurriedly put your laptop on the dining room table before going to the door.

You open the door to see Aaron standing there. You smile, “Hey.” You hear your voice echo between your two phones, causing you to hang up. You stand there for a moment before realizing that you were basically wearing your pajamas. You blush and move to the side to let Aaron into your apartment, “If we are going anywhere, I will need to change.” You rub the back of your neck. Aaron’s face looked softer than usual, “I didn’t have any plans. I came straight from work.” After Aaron walks in, you close the door and lock it behind him. When you turn around Aaron has an almost guilty look on his face, “I was going to bring flowers or something as an apology for all the canceled dates, but I didn't know if you had allergies. I figured I would make it up to you by coming over tonight. Since I have time… I am sorry about all the canceled plans, by the way.” Aaron looked even more guilty now. You couldn't help but smile at his mixture of nervousness and sweetness, "It's okay. I promise." Aaron opens his mouth, and you just know that he is about to apologize again. So instead, you interrupt him, "Have you eaten yet?" Aaron shakes his head, "I haven't." You give a small nod before turning into the kitchen, "Me either. Let's see what I can scrounge up." Starting to go through the cabinets.

While you were looking for some food to make, you saw Aaron looking around your apartment. He was very polite about it, so you wouldn't call it snooping. You went to look through the fridge and see what you had. Aaron commented, “Are these your finances?” You shoot up, hitting your head on the refrigerator as you stand up. You winced and rubbed the back of your head, looking over at him. Aaron was already sitting in front of your laptop. A severe expression had set back into his face. He crossed his arms as he looked it over. You bit at your lip. Aaron looked over at you inquisitively. Usually, you probably would have stopped him, but you supposed this was why you got involved with him, to begin with. You sucked it up and replied, “Yeah, it is.” You went back to digging through the fridge. Not having a whole lot to choose from didn't help you make a decision. It also didn't help that you were nervous about what Aaron thought of your spending habits and financial situation.

After looking through your fridge and every cabinet twice, you finally break. You speak, abruptly disturbing the silence, “Can you stop sitting over there judging me?” Quickly you walk over and sit in the chair next to him, trying to obscure the screen in any way. Aaron’s brows were already knit together, looking much too serious for your taste. He keeps the laptop in place and looks at you, “I’m not judging you.” You whine and start childishly blocking the screen with your hands, “I could feel the judgment all the way in the kitchen.” Aaron’s firm grasp on your computer doesn't allow much leeway, and with your hands not blocking enough of the screen, you just huff, “This is supposed to be a date, right? And you're sitting over here looking like an accountant.” Aaron’s stern demeanor breaks as a smirk slides onto his face. You can already feel your nerves dissipating. He shakes his head at you, “This is a date, yes.” The smirk slides off his face, but his face stays softer than before, “I think this is a fairly important conversation we need to have.” You glare at him half-heartedly, knowing he was right.

You hum softly, “Do you have normal clothes to change into? That would make this feel a lot less official.” Aaron nods, “I have a bag of clothes in my car.” You perk up, “Perfect.” Standing up, you start gently nudging him, “Go get your bag, and you can change in here.” Aaron narrows his eyes at you, “Don’t try to hide that before I get back.” He was pointing to your laptop, his tone had more authority in it than normal. Even if that had been your plan, it definitely wasn't anymore. You give a quick nod to show that you understand, followed by a smile. Aaron gets up and heads out temporarily. You let him out and then proceed to wait right by the door for him to get back. It doesn't take him long to return. When you let Aaron back into your apartment, you see a very official-looking duffle bag in his hand. You smile and motion him to your bedroom, “Feel free to change in there.” Aaron offers a slight smile before closing himself into your bedroom.

You froze the second the door closed. Trying to think for a moment if you had anything embarrassing lying around in your room. There was probably a semi-tamed pile of dirty laundry, a bunch of school books scattered about, and maybe some applications for things. Other than that, you couldn't think of anything too awkward out in the open. Feeling more at ease allowed you to focus back on finding something to eat. Even with your mind cleared of some anxiety, you couldn't find anything that would be good for dinner. You resort to ordering some food for both of you. You weren't sure what Aaron would like, so you waited for him to finish changing. As you wait, you grab your laptop and sit on the couch. Staring at the numbers on the screen, maybe Aaron was hardcore judging your spending habits. You had to admit they weren't the best, but you really tried to stick to a budget. When you heard your bedroom door open, your attention was immediately drawn to it.

You saw Aaron in a very comfy looking polo-shirt and jeans. He looked good like that, and he even seemed more relaxed. A smile spreads across your face when you see Aaron. He looks over at you, “Better?” You give an excited nod. Maybe a bit too enthusiastic, but luckily it seems to make Aaron smile. You look him over again before asking, “Why do you wear suits all the time? And why was there a bag of clothes in your car?” Aaron walks over to the couch and doesn't quite sit down yet. He makes an almost confused face, “You don’t know where I work?” The look he gave you made you feel like you should know the answer. You started worrying that he had mentioned it before, and you didn't remember. You rub the back of your neck, nervously, “N...No. Should I?” You start to overthink things and look up at him with apologetic eyes, “I’m sorry if you brought it up before.” Aaron study’s your face for a moment, crossing his arms, “But you meet Rossi. So, you know what he does for a living.” You felt like he was evaluating you on something. You didn't know the right answer, “I only met him once... I think I have one of his books somewhere. All I know is that he is an author that used to work in law enforcement of some kind… but he is retired, right?” You try to figure out if these answers were what Aaron was looking for, but he was practically unreadable. You swallow hard and look up at him, trying to figure out why he seemed equally attractive and intimidating in both a polo-shirt and a suit.

Aaron raised an eyebrow, “You didn’t look him or myself up?” You fiddle with the edges of your laptop, “I knew David was famous and took a risk that I could trust him. Looking you up feels like cheating, though.” You break eye contact with him, “I mean… We are supposed to be going on dates and learning about each other that way.” You heard Aaron let out a soft sigh, “Would you mind if I only answered part of your question then?” His voice was much softer than it was just moments ago. You look back over to him and nod. Aaron looks down at you with a bit of uncertainty, “I need a bag of clothes for work.” He finally unfolds his arms and takes a seat next to you on the couch, “I would rather not talk about my job though.” Aaron pauses before adding, “I don’t want to think about it when I’m with you.” This time he seems a bit unsure of his last sentence. Aaron cleared his throat, trying to move on from what he just said. You could tell he wasn't sure if the last part was too much or out of line in some way. You wanted to reassure him, “That’s totally fine.” You offer a genuine smile, trying to express that you understood fully. Aaron seems to appreciate it because he responds with a slight smile of his own.

You pull out your phone, "What do you want for dinner? I don't really have anything here." Aaron thinks for a moment, "What sounds good to you?" You glare at him, "Nope. You pick." Aaron raises an eyebrow at you. You shake your head and add, "I picked last time. Now it's your turn." Aaron chuckles and shakes his head, "Fine." Aaron suggests a place that is close by, so you call and order the food.

Aaron looks at you once you're off the phone, "You are going to let me pay this time." It was phrased as a question, but it was more of a statement. You slide your phone into your pocket and scoff, "Why would I do that?" Aaron narrows his eyes at you, "Because of that whole situation." He points to your computer. Your attention gets drawn back to the laptop sitting on your legs. Biting your lip, you chuckle, “Don’t judge me too much based on this, okay? I can justify every purchase.” Aaron raises an eyebrow and smirks, “Really?” You narrow your eyes at him, up for the challenge, “Yes.” Aaron smirks and nods, “Okay, then.” Determined, you buckle down, getting ready to defend yourself. Over the next few hours, you both look it over and discuss it. There is a short pause when the food arrives. After you let Aaron pay for it, you both get right back to the evaluation. It wasn't the funniest situation. Having to sit there and look over all the things you had spent money on with a practical stranger. However, parts of this financial conversation were kind of fun.

Aaron looked from the numbers to you, “Seems like you're eating out a lot. You need to go grocery shopping more.” His voice was very parental and borderline lecturing. You automatically resorted to pouting, “It's not that bad.” Aaron narrows his eyes at you, even going as far as to point to the recently finished food. Since it was your idea to order out and you didn't have a lot of food currently, so he was right. That, however, doesn't stop you from pouting further, “They are family-owned local places, and I am friends with a lot of the people. I wanna help them out.” Aaron lets out a soft sigh, “It’s irresponsible.” It was a weak protest on his part. Aaron’s voice was less judgmental. Clearly, he was a big softy under the stern, responsible exterior. So out of curiosity, you wanted to test how close he was to dropping the whole lecturing thing. You let out a whine, “So judgy…” You close your eyes and let your head lightly fall onto the back of the couch. Feeling Aaron’s eyes on you made you curiously open just one eye to peek at him. Surprisingly Aaron had his eyebrows raised, looking amused. As soon as you knew he saw you peeking, you closed your eye again and let out a small huff. This earned you a chuckle from Aaron before he spoke, “You're acting childish.” He didn't even sound remotely mad, so it took all your willpower not to crack a smile right then. You pressed your lips into a firm line in order to hold off as long as you could. You managed to speak without laughing, “ ‘Baby’ is in the title, isn't it? So, I think I’m allowed to act a bit childish.” You let a smile slide onto your face, unable to contain it anymore. Opening your eyes as you chuckled. Aaron was smiling too, which you very much enjoyed seeing. Aaron shook his head at you, “I suppose it comes with the role then.” He looked off to the side for a moment, looking mischievous, “But that would mean I’m allowed to be ‘judgy’ because of my title in this arrangement as well.” Aaron looked at you with a smirk, and you started laughing, “Touche.”

You sit up, moving your laptop over onto the coffee table, “I think both of us did well then, and now it's time to do something fun.” Aaron’s face quickly got serious, “We still need to talk about how I could help you with your financial situation.” You sigh and roll your eyes, making sure it’s overdramatic, so he doesn't get too upset by this response. You look at him, “I am not so financially insecure that I am going to go bankrupt in the next few days.” Aaron narrows his eyes at you, looking like he is about to say something. Before he can, you speak up again, wanting to make your point clear to him, “Aaron, I don’t need or want a human ATM. I wouldn't feel right doing that to anyone, and that's not how I see you.” Aaron seems slightly surprised by your candid response. You feel yourself getting nervous, so you clear your throat to move on, “Let’s do something fun.” Aaron studies you for a minute. You try to relax under his gaze even as it feels like he is trying to analyze you.

Aaron finally softens up once again as he speaks, “It’s late. Where would we go?” You make a playfully disgusted face, “Go out? Eww.” You chuckle, “Don’t get me wrong, outside is great and all but this time of night, it's just clubs open.” You fake gag before bringing your legs up onto the couch. Your brain automatically drifted to all the Sugar Daddy’s Oliva brought around. They loved the whole ‘younger people scene’ like crazy parties or clubs. That wasn't really you. You didn't think Aaron was interested in that either, but you started to feel self-conscious. Curling up as you add, “I suppose my idea of fun is fairly boring compared to most people my age, though.” You finish off your statement with a nervous chuckle as you rubbed the back of your neck. Aaron offers a sweet smile and laughs, “My friends call me boring too, so it's okay.” You can't help but smile back, “We can be boring together.”

You grab the tv remote and hand it to him. Settling in and getting comfy. Aaron looks at you, inquisitively, “You want me to pick?” You shrug as you laugh, “Sure. I’m good with whatever.” He hesitantly starts channel surfing. You watch for a while until you deem enough time has passed, and you try to pull some forms onto your lap sneakily. You start filling them out ever so slowly, trying not to draw too much attention to yourself. Aaron seems to linger on news channels, which wasn’t too surprising. It makes you chuckle to yourself. You glance at the screen every now and then. You weren't one to watch the news yourself, other than maybe for weather updates or something. You didn't mind, though. Aaron seemed to catch himself pausing on the news, clearing his throat in a ‘casual’ fashion before changing the channel. You don't pay it much mind until you notice the serious look set onto his face.

You stop writing to thoroughly look at him, “You don’t seem to be having much fun…” You let out a soft sigh, “I promise that normally I am a better host.” Aaron easily pulled his attention away from the tv. His brows knitted together, “If you're busy, I can leave.” Aaron even starts moving like he is ready to leave right now. You quickly lunge forward, gently grabbing his arm, so he doesn't get up, “Please don’t!” Your words came out a lot needier and rushed then you meant to. Having no clue what just came over you, you just as quickly let go of his arm. You feel your cheeks heat up, “Sorry… I mean, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I would understand if you didn’t want to sit around, though.” You altogether avoid eye contact. You liked Aaron, sure, and it was nice having someone around, even if nothing was happening. But it was only your second date, and that small gesture could be seen as you being very desperate.

You feel a slight frown slip onto your face, “Some of these are due tomorrow.” Aaron gets a serious look on his face again, “What sort of problems financial problems have you been having?” You were glad he didn't say anything about your sudden outburst a minute ago, but you also weren't thrilled talking about your finances again. You try to brush it off with a laugh, “You saw my finances, so you tell me.” You feel Aaron’s glare bore into you. You look up at him and try to add a smile to the joke, which makes Aaron roll his eyes. Aaron keeps the stern look on his face. Since you avoided Aaron’s question, he decides to answer yours instead, “You need a new job, it's not paying you enough. That is unless you're working fewer hours for school.” You didn't want to talk about your job. It was complicated and stressful to think about. You cave and decide to answer Aaron’s original question, “My scholarship is being permanently canceled. There was a letter with a lot of legal and financial jargon on it that I didn’t fully understand, but I can’t rely on it to pay for my classes anymore.” Aaron’s glare intensifies when he notices you avoiding the question about your job, but he lets it slide for the time being. He raises an eyebrow, “Where is the letter?” You pause and think, “With my other important papers…” You huff, “Reading over that letter won't be fun for either of us. I said we should do something fun.” Aaron rolls his eyes, “And you truly look like you're having so much fun right now.” You glare at him for a moment before turning your attention back down to the applications in front of you.

Out of spite, you quickly fill out whatever spots you have left on the paper in front of you. Once finished, you carefully toss the stack of papers onto the end table. Then you turn your attention back to Aaron, “There… done. Now I am completely finished for the night.” You can’t help but chuckle, "My undivided attention is now all yours." Aaron rolls his eyes at you, but you see the ghost of a smile on his face. He hands the tv remote back over to you, "Alright, then you get to pick." This time you glare at Aaron but start surfing through channels. At some point, you officially settle on watching 'Unwrapped'. It was a nice relaxing show. Plus, it was semi-educational, and you enjoyed it. Aaron seemed to like it as well, so it was a good thing to watch for the night. It was already getting late, and you were tired. You managed to stay awake for a while, but at some point, your body ultimately gave in, and you fell asleep.

You wake up on the couch, feeling groggy. Rubbing your eyes, you realize that Aaron had fallen asleep with you. You check the time and see that it’s the middle of the night. You stretch slightly and slowly get up. After you stand up, you gently nudge Aaron. He wakes up a bit startled. You start sleepily cooing at him, “Everything is okay, you're fine.” Aaron’s initial reaction eased into confusion. You turn the tv off, “We both fell asleep on the couch.” Aaron lets out a light groan, “Oh… I should head home then.” You turn back to look at him and roll your eyes, “No way in hell am I letting you drive home this late. It’s like 3 am.” Aaron gets another confused look on this face, “I guess the couch will be fine then.” You chuckle, “Come on. Don’t be like that. I have a bed, and it's a decent size. We will both fit in it.” Aaron narrows his eyes at you, almost looking at you suspiciously. You sigh, “Don’t be dramatic. When you were a kid, you shared a bed with your friends for sleepovers.” Aaron gives a groggy nod before conceding with a sigh, “Alright.” You head into your bedroom, deciding these clothes were close enough to pajamas for you to sleep in them. You slide onto your side of the bed and set an alarm for some time tomorrow. Aaron had followed behind you. Once you had laid down, he took the other side of the bed. If both of you had been any less exhausted then, you would probably be nervous about this. But all you could think about was getting back to sleep. It didn’t take long for sleep to retake you.

You woke up to the sound of a phone ringing. You couldn't think of who would be calling you. You search for your phone and grab it. When you go to check the time, you notice two things. First that it was only around 7 am which no one should be calling you this early. Then you see that no one is calling your phone even though a phone is still ringing. That's when your brain caught back up with you, remembering that you let Aaron stay the night since it was so late. The phone doesn't get a chance to ring more than three or four times before he picks it up. Aaron’s voice comes out, only slightly groggy but stern, “Hotchner.” There are a few moments of silence before he speaks again, “I’ll be right in.” You feel him move to get off the bed, and you open your eyes. Sitting up a bit. Aaron was already rushing to get ready, but he did notice that you were awake. He gave you an apologetic look, “Sorry if that call woke you up.” A small yawn overtakes you before you respond, “No worries, It’s totally fine.” You smile at him as he grabs his bag full of extra clothes. Aaron disappears into the bathroom, probably to change.

You get out of bed and start making some coffee, feeling that he will probably need some. You try to look for breakfast, but you don't have anything that would be considered ‘to-go’ food. You settle on just coffee. You lean against the counter as you wait. Aaron emerges from your bedroom, and you pour some coffee into a thermos. You turn around, handing it to him, “Here you go.” He looks from the container to you, “I… Thank you.” Aaron gives a small smile before grabbing the thermos from you. You chuckle and smile, “No problem. I know last night was probably boring and more casual than you expected-” You pause for just a moment. Before you can continue, Aaron quickly speaks up, “No.” He stops himself and clears his throat before calming his voice down, “I like casual, it’s relaxing.” A smile spreads across your face, “I had fun, so I’m glad you enjoyed it as well.” Aaron watches you for a moment, almost like he is thinking about something. You tilt your head curiously, about to ask him. Suddenly a realization hit him, and he checked his watch, “I have to go.” You lean against the counter and nod, “Alright.” Aaron scrambles to get all his stuff together to get ready to go.

Right before he is about to walk out the door, you quickly peak around the corner, “Hey.” Aaron stops and turns to look at you, a stern yet worried look on his face, “Yeah?” You grin, “Feel free to randomly stop by my apartment again. Anytime.” Aaron cracks a smile. He diverts eye contact to the ground as he chuckles, “I just might take you up on that.” You laugh and use a fake stern voice, “You better.” You pause and lean against the wall, “Have a good day.” Aaron chuckles again and nods, “You too.” With that, he quickly leaves, closing the door behind him.


End file.
